SGN and Fife College have announced plans for the UK’s first dedicated hydrogen training facility for gas engineers.
The new centre will be based at Fife College’s campus in Levenmouth and is scheduled to open in the first half of 2024. It’s aim is to upskill over 200 existing gas engineers in the area to work with hydrogen as a fuel.
Courses have been under development since June 2022 with the help of key stakeholders such as Energy & Utility Skills Partnership and the Institution of Gas Engineers and Managers (IGEM).
SGN says this training is vital to support their H100 Fife project, described as the world’s first green hydrogen trial. H100 Fife will be supplying green hydrogen to several hundred homes in Levenmouth in Fife through a new hydrogen gas network, which is currently being built alongside the existing natural gas network.
The courses will be delivered by experts with both natural gas and hydrogen experience. Engineers will learn how to safely install, test and commission the new hydrogen appliances and infrastructure as it’s rolled out in Fife.
Major appliance manufacturers like Baxi, Worcester Bosch and BSH have provided equipment to ensure trainees get hands on experience with the real technology.
Mark Wild OBE, SGN CEO and chair of the Energy & Utility Skills Partnership, comments: “It’s so important to prepare gas engineers today, for the skills they’ll need tomorrow. They are the guardians of our gas network, on the frontline making sure communities are safe, warm and have access to the critical services they need. They’ll also play a key role in the years to come ensuring our industry is at the heart of the UK’s ambitions to achieve net zero.”
